Thatís why Jeremy Jordan sounds exhausted. Heís just emerged from an eight-hour rehearsal, as this world premiere musical gets hammered into shape at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. That means cutting a reprise here, reworking some choreography there and learning the three pages of dialog that were just rewritten.

"Itís exhausting," says Jordan. "Itís demanding in all sorts of ways. The first act is physically demanding. The second act is more emotionally demanding. And then you figure that Iím onstage for almost the entire show Ė I leave for only about seven minutes total."

Thatís because this is his story. Jordan plays J.M. Barrie, the Scottish author of "Peter Pan." "Finding Neverland" traces the unique and inspiring story behind the creation of the iconic Boy Who Wouldnít Grow Up. Divorced, Barrie meets and becomes friends with the widowed Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and her four young sons. Barrieís creative and spirited relationship with the boys helps plant the fertile seeds of "Peter Pan."

"Barrie is just a child," says Jordan. "He was never really allowed to go through the maturing process. His brother died when he was 8, and then his mother withdrew. He had to grow up quickly."

The four boys become the trigger for his creativity. They help him get back in touch with the inner child whoís capable of dreaming up "Peter Pan."

"Many of us have barriers that get in the way of our true creative selves," says Jordan. "Sometimes you end up doing what people expect rather than whatís truly inside of you. Thatís really what the play is about. The core idea is to be true to yourself. Donít be afraid of making mistakes or being criticized. Find yourself."

Jordan, like any artist, has dealt with his own blocks. He realizes that lurking self-doubt may have prevented him from accepting the challenge of performing solo concerts.

"I have felt myself hold back from that," he says. "Iím in the process of overcoming my fear of going out onstage and, instead of playing a role, being myself."

Maybe heís taking a step closer by playing Barrie.

"I tend to get cast as characters who are full of angst, or some of them are very charismatic," he says. "But Barrie is quirky and introverted. Heís much more like me than most of the roles Iíve played."

Jordan is one part of the talented team thatís tackling "Neverland." The music and lyrics are by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy. Barlow is a British pop hit-maker whoís written 13 singles that went to number one on the charts in Great Britain, and Jordan says the "Neverland" score is full of catchy tunes. Mia Michaels choreographs the show, and itís directed by Diane Paulus, artistic director of ART. The reviews arenít in on this version of "Finding Neverland," but, as far as Jordan is concerned, the reviews are in on Paulus.

Page 2 of 2 - "She has so many [good qualities as a director]," he says. "Sheís so collaborative. Iíve never felt like I couldnít speak my mind. Iíve asked, ĎCan we stop and try this, this and this?í and she almost always says yes. Sheís so open and communicative. Sheís also incredibly smart; she almost always gets it right on the nose. Itís always nice when the ship is being steered by someone whoís that smart."

Paulus may need that intelligence to unlock "Finding Neverland." The idea of transforming the 2004 Johnny Depp film into a musical may sound good in theory, but it has a rocky history. An unrelated 2012 production in London never really found its audience.

"It wasnít as successful as they had hoped," says Jordan. "So this is a whole new creative team. A new book and a new score. Thatís where we are."

And where is Jordan? Heís headed off to sleep, or maybe to memorize a few of the new lines before collapsing. Thatís the joy and pain of working on a new musical rather than a battle-tested classic like "West Side Story," which needs no pages to be rewritten, no reprises to be cut.

"Itís a beautiful story for one," says Jordan. " ĎPeter Paní is one of the most successful childrenís stories of all time. And the story of how it was created is even more magical than the story itself. It has all the ingredients for a great show."